Portable washing plant



Jan. 10, 1950 w. A. ERICKSON 2,493,955

PORTABLE WASHING PLANT Filed Dec. 13, 1945 7 She'ets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

Jan. 10, 1950 w. A. ERICKSON PORTABLE WASHING PLANT 7 Sheets-SheetQ 2 Filed Dec. 13, 1945 INVENTOR.

AVTOP/VEYS Jan. 10, 1950 w. A. 'ERICKSON 2,493,955

PORTABLE WASHING PLANT Filed Dec. 13, 1945 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 [NI 'EN TOR.

Jan. 10, 1950 w, ERICKSON 2,493,955

PORTABLE WASHING PLANT Filed Dec. 13, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

I Jan. 10, 1950 w. A; EmcKsoN PORTABLE wxsnmc PLANT 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 1 5 11945 WTTOFIVEVJ" W. A. ERICKSON PORTABLE WASHING PLANE.

Jan 10),, 11950 "F Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Dec.v 13, 1945 INVENTOR.

flTTOR/VEYS.

Jan. 10, 1950 w. A. ERICKSON PORTABLE WASHING PLANT 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Dec. 13, 1945 NN RN Patented Jan. 10, 195

PORTABLE WASHING PLANT I Walter A. Erickson, Anchorage, Territory of Alaska Application December is, 1945-," SerialNo. 634,753

6 Claims. (01. lot- 265 This invention relates to ore Washing apparatus, one of the objects being to provide a complete washing unit which, in spite of its size and weight, can easily be shifted from place to place within the area of operations without necessitating dismantling.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this character which, by reason of its peculiar construction, can be moved by walking it from place to place simply by changing the position of the center of gravity so that opposite sides can be relieved alternately from excessive weight,

thereby permitting the lightened side to be advanced following each shift of the center of gravity.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred form of the invention has been illustrated.

In said drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete apparatus.

Figure 2 is a top plan view, one of the positions assumed during the walking operations being indicated by broken lines.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on line 3'--3,

line 4-4,

nection with the carriage at the upper or feed end thereof.

Figure 9 is a front elevation of the carriage at the upper end of the apparatus, portions being broken away to show the pivotal connections between the carriage and the sluice box.

Figure 10 is a vertical transverse section through the supporting carriage adjacent to the l 2 lower or delivery end portion of the sluice box and showing the adjustable supports for the sluice box.

. Figure 11 is a sideelevation of the structure shownin Figure 10. 7

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, I designates parallel skids of any suitable proportionsand materials and secured to these skids adjacent to their ends are front and rear standards-2 and 3 which support top beams 4 having braces 5 extending therefrom to the standards asshown particularly in Figure 3.

The two supporting frames formed by the skids, standards and top beams, are joined by front and back cross beams 6 each of which, as shown particularly in Figure 6, has a hinge plate I which extends between the flanges of the adjacent beam 4 and is held thereto by a hinge pin 8. For the purposes of reinforcement braces 9 and II] are secured to each endportion of each beam 6, these braces being rigidly secured to the beam at their upper endsand being preferably disposed parallel to each other as shown, for example,.in Figurel. Hinge plates II are attached to the lowerends of the braces and have offset ends [2 whichfas shown in Figure 7, extend between ears [3 in the adjacent standards 2, or 3 and are held thereto by hinge pinfl l. Thus it will'be noted thatfthetwo supporting frames and the front and rear cross beams'with their braces, cooperate to form a parallelogram capable of being flexed in constitutesno part of the present invention.

Elongated track plates are mounted on and move with the cross beams. These plates, which have been indicated at 5, areparallel with each other and their ends can be extended desired distances beyond the side supporting frames. A

pivotally. joined to the carriage 18 by means vof a king bolt 20 is a turntable 2| provided with side StandardsZ Z-and mounted on arcuate bear I Figures 8: and 9, is provided with supporting wheels l9 mounted ont-the-track t6 and mounted on and- 26 are connected to and adapted to be actuated by hydraulic jacks 3| adapted to be actuated sfmultaneously for the purpose of raising or lowering the bearings.

A roller 32 is mounted on a shaft 33 which ex tends through slots 34 formed in the standards 26 and is carried by the bearings. 21. Thisroller constitutes a rotatable support on which rests one end portion of a sluice box 35 which, as.

shown, can be provided; with lateral extensions 36- having openings 31 through which the standards 26 are extended loosely;

The washing and separating apparatus assem- V bled with the sluice boxdoes not, in itself, constitute any part of the present invention. It might be stated briefly that one end of the sluice is equipped with a feed hopper 38 opening downwardly to a grizzly 39 which, in turn, is positioned to feed material to a trommel 40 positioned to- .deliver tailings to laterally extended rock chutes Y Any suitable construction and arrangement of rifiles 42 is provided in the sluice box wherebi screenings from the trommel will be thoroughly washed and separated.

A suitable power plant 43 can be located at one side of the sluice structure between the carriages and side platforms or walks 44- can be extended along the sides of the sluice box. These can be provided with hand rails 45 and can even be extended to steps 46 whereby access can be had readily to an elevated platform 47' above the hopper 38.

The power plant 43 is designed to transmit motion through shafting 48 to a drum 49 which, as shown, is mounted on the carriage 24' and has wrapped about it an intermediate portion of a cable 50. This cable is supported on guide pulleys 5], located at. the respective ends of the track I6.

From these pulleys the ends of the cable are extended toward each other and are fastened to opposite portions of the carriage 24. Thus when the drum 49 is rotated in one direction, the carriage will be moved toward one end of its track whereas, when the drum is rotated; in the opposite direction, the carriage 24 will be moved toward the other end of its track [6.

For the purpose of preventing the carriage supported apparatus from running off of, the tracks provided therefor, the track I! can be provided with terminal abutments or checks 52.

Any suitable arrangement of water pipes 53 can be employed and obviously the power plant is to be. provided with suitable'controls by which the carriage supported structure can be moved desired distances toward one end or the other of the tracks.

It is to be understood that, thepresent apparatus is designed primarily for large operations and, accordingly, the capacity of the mechanism must be considerable. Ordinarily, a machine of this size would: have to be set up in a permanent'position and the materials hauled thereto and delivered therefrom, thereby prolonging greatly the 4 operations carried out. The purpose of the present invention is to permit the use of a large apparatus of great capacity which is capable of being moved from place to place so that it will always be in position to receive the ore at the point of excavation. The movement of the apparatus is effected in the following manner:

The carriage supported structure mounted on the rails is shifted by means of the cable until it is brought close to one end of the two tracks. This places the center of gravity over or close to one of the skids. Thereafter a tractor or the like is connected to one end of the other skid which, being relieved of the great weight of the sluice box and the mechanisms associated therewith can be pulled forwardly without disturbing the position of the other skid. This is due to the fact that the supporting structure is in the form of a parallelogram and when one skid is pulled forwardly the cross beams 6 and the tracks there- .above will swin forwardly with the shifted skid.

Upon the completion of this step in the advancement" of the apparatus, the carriage supported structure is shifted along the tracks toward the other end thereof so that the center of gravity is brought above or close to the skid which had been moved. This lightens the load on the skid which had not been shifted and it thus becomes possible to hitch a tractor or the like to that skid and pull it forwardly. Obviously, by following" this step by step operation, the entire apparatus, even though of great weight, can be walked. forwardly or backwardly as preferred so that the apparatus thus can be maintained close to the material as it is being excavated.

An important feature of the invention is found in the fact that the sluice box can be moved from side to side to bring it to any desired angle so that the tai'lings can be handled without moving the entire machine and so that various widths of pay streaks can be handled without moving the ing the form of a parallelogram when viewed in plan, saidstructure including two pairs of parallel members, the members of one pair being pivotally connected at theirends to the members of the other pair; shiftable supports beneath and connected to the members of one pair; carriage means mounted on the members of the other pair; turntables on saidcarriage means for supporting ore treating apparatus; and means for shifting said carriage means bodily from one side I 1 to the other side of the supporting structure,

7 supports successively.

' structure;

said sides being defined by the members of said first named pair, thereby to position the center of gravity of ore treating apparatus supported upon said carriage means above the shiftable 2. Transporting apparatus for ore treating apparatus comprising supporting elements; a supporting structure mounted on said elements and comprising four beams pivotally connected at their ends to constitute a parallelogram when viewed in plan, said supporting elements being positioned under two opposite beams of said structure; parallel tracks mounted on and vertically aligned with the other two beams of said carriage means mounted on the tracks; turntables on said carriage means adapted to support ore treating apparatus; and means for moving the carriage means bodily along the tracks to position the center of gravity of the.

ore treating apparatus carried thereby substantially in line with one or the other of the supporting elements.

3. Transporting apparatus for ore treating apparatus including a supporting frame comprising two pairs of pivotally connected members forming a parallelogram when viewed in plan; spaced supporting elements for said frame connected to and below the opposite members of one pair, said elements being mounted for alternate movement in one direction, thereby to walk the frame from one position to another; carriage means rollably mounted on the opposite members of the other pair; supports for ore treating apparatus pivotally mounted on said carriage means; and means for shifting said carriage means bodily along the members of said secondnamed pair from one side of the supporting frame to the other side, said sides being defined by the members of the first-named pair, thereby alternately to position the center of gravity of ore treating apparatus supported upon the carriage means substantially in line with the respective supporting elements.

4. Transporting apparatus for ore treating apparatus comprising a supporting structure comprising pivotally connected members forming a parallelogram when viewed in plan; supporting elements beneath and connected to two opposite side portions of said structure and positioned to be advanced successively in one direction, thereby to walk the structure in said direction; carriage means rollably mounted on the other two opposite side portions of said structure; revolvable platforms mounted on the carriage means and adapted to support ore treating apparatus mounted on the structure; and means for moving said carriage means bodily along the lastnamed side portions in either of two directions, to position the center of gravity of the supported ore treating apparatus substantially in vertical alignment with one or the other of said supporting elements.

5. Transporting apparatus for ore treating apparatus comprising a supporting structure including pivotally connected members forming a parallelogram when viewed in plan; skids under and connected to two opposite members of said structure, said skids being positioned for successive movement in one direction, thereby to walk, the structure in said direction; parallel tracks mounted on and vertically aligned with the other two opposite members of said structure; .carriage means rollably mounted on the respective tracks; platforms revolvably mounted on'jlth e carriage means and adapted to support opposite ends of ore treating apparatus extending} between the tracks; and means for moving said carriage means toward either end of the tracks, thereby to shift the center of gravity of the ore treating apparatus carried thereby into substantial vertical alignment with one or the other of the skids. 1

Transporting apparatus for ore'treating apparatus comprising parallel skids; standards seciired to and extending upwardly from the skids; apair of parallel beams secured to and supported by the standards; a second'pair of parallel beams pivotally connected at their ends to the beams of the first pair, said pair of beams cooperating to provide a parallelogram when viewedin plan, said parallel skids being'disposed below'a'n'd in substantial vertical alignment with thefi beams of the first pair; parallel tracks mountedfupon the beams of the second pair in substantial vertical alignment therewith; a carriage rollably mounted on each of the tracks; a turntable on each carriage, the turntables being adapted to support opposite ends of ore treating apparatus extending between the carriages; and means for shifting the carriages toward either endfof the tracks, thereby to shift the center of gravity of ore treating apparatus supported thereuponsubstantially into vertical alignment with' therespective skids.

' WALTER A. ERICKSON.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Date " Name 57,959 Peabody Sept. 11, 1866 794,346 Cross July 11, 1905 219.363 Anderson July 2, 1918 z'zgms DePolo July 30, 191

354,571 Anderson June 22, 1920 2,352,712 Heckett July 4, 1944 

